23/11/2020
The Future of Live Events
Why Venues should not be responsible for storing personal customer Data due to COVID-19 Guidelines. SQRZ App provides an efficient alternative.
As we all know, massive lockdowns shuttered businesses and event venues across the globe this past Spring. A decline in new cases over the Summer gave hope to people, and enabled bars and restaurants to reopen with limited capacity. But then a new rise in COVID-19 cases in Europe forced many countries to start reversing their plans for reopening.
To control the chaos, governments have now proposed new regulations and contact tracing procedures. But Privacy Organizations have repeatedly expressed concerns over the ability of hospitality venues to comply with privacy laws in their collection and storage of visitors' information.
Reports of personal data being misused by businesses for marketing purposes and even harassment have raised many questions about the ethical enforcement of new regulations. Additionally, venues have taken to storing the data in disparate ways. Some are employing fancy technological interfaces, while others are simply recording data on small sheets of paper. This has caused national health departments to grow concerns about inefficient collection methods and unidentifiable customers.
Contact tracing without exposing visitors to the risk of a data breach?
Various governments have released digital coronavirus tracing tools such as the German Corona Warn App. As of July 24, the app had been downloaded 16.2 million times, accounting for an impressive 20% of the German population (please see, Robert Koch Institute (RKI). Yet, reports of repeated malfunctions have raised doubts about the reliability of the app.
Event-based technology platforms have not been much more effective at providing a solution. While companies such as Eventbrite and Meetup have struggled to keep their users engaged, many others have shifted their focus to non-traditional events, allowing users to recreate a concert feeling by streaming directly from their living room. However, it is questionable to what extent this tactic has helped the event industry. Poorly regulated private events account for the spread of more cases of coronavirus than formal venues that have an efficient hygiene plan. We may be safer allowing small event venues such as bars and restaurants to reopen if combined with: 1) an effective means of monitoring adherence to COVID-19 guidelines and 2) digitally collecting visitor information without the danger of data breaches.
SQRZ App: An Efficient Alternative
SQRZ Enterprises, Inc., a New York-based tech startup, has developed a new app that addresses both of these challenges by connecting venues directly to their audiences, and digitally storing data in strict adherence with GDPR guidelines. The company was founded shortly before the pandemic and has since focused on the development of an early-stage version of the product.
SQRZ App is a living event map and networking service that allows promoters to connect with nearby visitors who can request invitations to join events of any kind in real-time.
After the visitor checks in, his data gets stored for 30 days. To use the platform, users do not need to download the app. Anybody with a working internet connection and a phone can visit the website and request access to public events.
SQRZ made its first headlines earlier this summer when it was selected as a Featured Startup at the 2020 Collision Conference, the annual Technology Congress labeled "the Olympics of Tech" by Politico magazine. Currently, the team is rolling out its first usability Tests. Venue owners and promoters are encouraged to request an invitation to join the private Beta.
Please visit www.sqrz.com for more info
Creative Agency for Entertainment
